Eight Arab-Islamic nations issued a harsh rebuke on Sunday against Israeli police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his conduct toward humanitarian workers who were detained while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
The controversy erupted after Ben-Gvir shared a video showing him mocking activists who were restrained on the ground during their detention. Several of the detained individuals, who had been part of a flotilla seeking to transport humanitarian supplies to Gaza, have since claimed they suffered physical abuse while in custody – allegations that Israel’s prison service has rejected.
In their joint statement, the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan declared: “Ben-Gvir’s deliberate public humiliation of detainees is a disgraceful assault on human dignity and a clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and international human rights law.”
